Process and means of cooling kilns



March 25 1924.

T. C. ALBIN PROCESS AND MEANS OF COOLING KILNS Filed Feb. 15. 1923ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 25, M24.

rattan THOMAS CARLTON ALBIN, 0F MANISTIQUE, MICHIGAN.

PROCESS AND MEANS OF COOLING KILNS.

Application filed February 15, 1923. Serial No. 619,226.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, THOMAS GAIwron ALBIN a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Manistique, in the county of Schoolcraft and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes andMeans of Cooling Kilns, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

.' My invention relates to improvements in the process of cooling kilns,more particularly for cooling charcoal kilns, and the apparatus forcarrying out the process, and it consists in thesteps, combinations,constructions, and arrangement of parts herein described and claimed.

In the operation of charcoal kilns, considerable of the expense involvedis due to the fact that so much time is taken in the cooling of the kilnand its contents to a point where it may be safely opened without thecharcoal igniting when the air strikes it. Thus in certain types ofkilns which are in common use, it takes from twelve to eighteen days forthe kiln to cool.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process in which thetime taken in cooling the kiln is greatly reduced, thereby increasingthe capacit of the kiln and lowering the cost of pro uction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a process of rapidlycoolin kilns in which such cooling may be efi'ecte Without any injury tothe resulting product.

A further object of my invention is to provide a means for quicklycooling'kilns which may be used in connection with the ordinary charcoalkiln without necessitating any change in the body of the kiln proper.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cooling means which iscomparatively simple in construction and relatively inexpensive toinstall.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of the invention will be particular] pointed outin the appended claims.

y invention "is illustrated in the accompan ing drawings, forming partof this app ication, in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of a kilnequipped with my improved cooling-mechanism, and

Figure 2 is a topplan view of an embodiment of the mechanism illustratedin Figure 1.

In the drawings, 1 denotes the fioor of an ordinary kiln, and 2 the sidewalls. The latterare provided with the usual drawing door 3. The top ofthe kiln, which is shown at 4:, has a filling door 5 and a scuttle hole6. A chimney 7 communicates with the interior of the kiln at 8. Theconstruction thus far described is ordinary. The walls of the kiln maybe made of any suitable material and the kiln may be of any desireddimensions.

My improved process and means for the cooling of kilns may be carriedout by means of a convoluted pipe 9*which consists in a plurality ofshort pipes connected in series with one another by means of returnelbows 10. One end of the pipe 9 has connected thereto an'elbow 11 towhich a coupling12 is attached. This coupling 12 is arranged to engagewith the scuttle hole 6 to occasion an air-tight connection therewith. I

A rotary suction fan 13 is provided and the intake port thereof isconnected by means of a pipe 14 to the opposite end of the pipe 9. Theoutlet port of the suction fan 13 has connected thereto a shortdownwardly bent pipe 15 having a couplin member 16 at the lower endthereof, whic coupling 16 is arranged to engage with the chimney 7 toform an air-tight connection therewith. It shouldbe noted at this timethat the coupling members 12 and 16 may be engaged or disengaged withthe scuttle hole 6 and the chimney 7 respectively at will, and thereforethe entire mechanism comprising namely, the ipe 9 and the suction fan13, may be li ted out of engagement with the kiln and moved by anysuitable mechanism (not shown) to another kiln. This is a greatadvantage since in the ordinary charcoal manufacture there are a greatmany kilns in the same room, and if the cooling mechanism could not bemoved from one kiln to another, it would be necessar to employ a searate mechanism for eac kiln, which won d greatly increase the expenseof the plant.

he chimney 7 has connected thereto a smoke main 17 by means of the shortconnecting tube 18. The connection between the smoke main 17 and the.chimney 7 is of course air-tight. The primary purpose of the smoke mainis toca away the smoke from the kiln. when t e contents thereof havebeen ignited.

lit is well hown that occasionally when the contents of the kiln beginto cool the pressure therein is inished and consequently airfrom theoutside is introduced to the kiln if the kiln is not air-tight at anyplace Since it is not uncommon that a kiln shall he possessed of slightcrevices or leaks between the filling door, and the walls, or the drawindoor and the walls, some eficient means is necessary to introduce aninert gas to the kiln under pressure so as to prevent the air on theoutsideof the kiln from entering the kiln and causing harmful combustionof the contents thereof.

Such means I have provided in my present inventionin a pipe 19 which isconnected at one end to the smoke main 17 and at its opposite end to thepipe 14 adjacent the intake port of the suction fan 13, as shown at 20.A damper 21 is disposed in the pipe 14 intermediate the point where thepipe 19 connects with the pipe 14, and one end ofthe convoluted'coohngpipe 9.

. There is also a damper 22 disposed in the p'pe 19 intermediate itslength, as shown in Figure 2,

From the foregoing description of the in vention, the o oration thereofmay be readily understoo In preparing the kiln, the

'the chimney 7, as shown in wood is introduced in precisely the samemanner as if my improved process and means of cooling the kiln were notto be employed. The scuttle hole 6 is sealed and the re is started. Atthis time the cooling mechanism is not connected to thekiln, but may beentirely removed therefrom. After the fire has burnt out, the process ofcooling the kiln must begin. In the ordinary kiln, it is to wait fromtwelve to. eighteen .da s be ore the contents of the kihi may cool suciently to permit the opening of the kiln without combustionof thecontents thereof. M present invention is for the urpose of s 'orteningthe cooling time, an thereby greatly decreasing the costof producingcharcoal. To this end I remove the seal from the scuttle hole 6 andsecure the coupling 12 thereto. I then connect the coupling 16 toIfjigure 1, and o erate the suction fan 13. Y e result is t at gaseouscontents of the kiln will be drawn up through the relatively long pi e 9by way of the scuttle hole 6, through the suction fan 13 and. into thechimne 7 by way of the coupli 16. Thus t e hot aseous contents t e kilnwill be kept mconstantcirculation through the convoluted pipe!) whichmay radiate heat from the hot' gaseous contents of the kiln as it passestherethrough, and thereby gradually ower the temperature 0 the ases inthe kiln' until it is safe to open t e kiln and ture of which isdescribed in the fore remove the contents without danger of combustionof the contents when the outside air which contains oxygen comes intoconof the entrance of air from the outside, I-

connect the pipe 14 with the smoke main 1 7 at a point immediately infront of the suction fan. This is done by opening the damper 22 whichcompletes the connection heretofore described. I then operate thesuction fan 13 to cause inert gases and smoke from the smoke main 17 toenter the kiln under pressure and thereby raise the pressure of thegaseous contents of the kiln to greater degree than the pressure of theair outside.

The result would be that no air from the exterior of the kiln may enter,and therefore there will be no harmful combustion of the contents. Ifthe damper 21 is closed entirely, thecirculation of the contents of thekiln will cease, but if it is open slightly, the circulation maycontinue and at the same time the pressure on the interior of the kilnmay be maintained at a higher degree than the pressure of the atmosphereon the outside of the kiln. I

It should be understood that the embodiment of my invention, theparticular struceclfication, 1s purely lllustratlve, an that s o viouslyI may employ numerous other forms of a paratus to accomplish the sameuseful result. g

I claim: 1. The herein described means for. cooling acharcoal kiln havina scuttle hole and a chimney, which comprises a coolin pipe arranged tobe connected at one on with the scuttle hole of the kiln, a suction fanhaving its intake port connected with the oposite end of said intakepipe, and its outet port arranged to'be connected with the chimney ofsaid kiln. I

2. The herein described means for cooling a charcoal kiln having ascuttle hole and a chimney, which consists in a relatively lonconvoluted cooling pipe, one end of whic is adapted to be connected withthe scuttle hole of said kiln, a suction fan connected with its intakeport to the opposite end of said cooling pipe, means for connecting theoutlet port of said suction fan with the chimney of said kiln, and a'damper disposed in the cooling pipe adjacent the intake port of saidsuction fan.

3. The herein described means for coolin a charcoal kiln having ascuttle hole and chimney and a smoke main, which comprises a coolingpipe arranged to be connected at one end ,with the scuttle hole of thekiln, a, suction fan having its intake rt connected with the oppositeend of said cooling pipe and its outlet port arranged to be connectedwith the chimney of saidkiln, and a smoke conductin pipe connected atone end with said smo e main and at the opposite end with said coolingpipe intermediate the damper of said cooling fpipe and the intake portof said suction an.

4. The herein described rocess of cooling a charcoal kiln which consistsin sealin the kiln all but the scuttle hole and the 0 imney outlet, indrawing the hot gases from the kilnby way of the scuttle hole, and'through a cooling medium where the gases are cooled and in subsequentlyreturning the gases from the cooling medium into the kiln gy way of thechimney opening.

5. he herein described steps in a process for cooling a charcoal kilnwhich consists in sealing the kiln all but the scuttle hole and thechimney outlet, in drawing the hot gases from the kiln by way of thescuttle hole, through a coolin medium where the gases are cooled, in susequently returning the gases from the cooling medium into the kiln byway of the chimney opening, and in inject-ing an inert gas underpressure into the kiln, wherebythe internal pressure of the kiln may bemaintained at a higher degree than the atmospheric pressure on theexterior of the kiln.

6. The herein described means for coolin a charcoal kiln havin a scuttlehole whicfi consists in a relative y lon cooling pipe placed exteriorlyof said kin, one end of which is ada ted to be connected to the scuttlehole 0 said kiln, a suction fan connected with its intake port to theopposite end of said cooling pipe, means for connect- 7 ing the outletpoltof said suction fan with the interior of said kiln, and a damperdisposed in the cooling pipe adjacent the intake port of said suctionfan.

7, The herein described means for coolin a charcoal kiln having ascuttle hol and a smoke main which comprises a coolin pipe disiposedexteriorly of said kiln an arrange to be connected at one end with thescuttle hole of the kiln, a suction fan having its intake port connectedwith the opposite end of said cooling pipe, and its outlet portconnected to the interior of said kiln, and a smoke conducting pipeconnected at one end with said smoke main and at the opposite end withsaid cooling pipeadjacent 7 the intake port of said suction fan.

THOMAS CARLTON ALBJIN.

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